Disk-wheel-straightening machine



Oct. 30, 1928. 1,690,006

R. FURBUSH DISK WHEEL STRAIGHTENING MACHINE Filed Oct. 22, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheel. 1

INVEN TOR.

TTORNEY.

RICHARD F URBU5H Oct. 30, 1928.

1,690,006 R. FURBUSH DISK WHEEL STRAIGHTENING MACHINE I Filed Oct. 22, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

R\CHARD FURBUSH njz k By A TTORNE Y.

Patented Oct- 30', 1928.

UNITED STATE, PATENT "OFFICE.

RICHARD FURBUSH, OI CHICAGO, ILLINO IS, ASSIGNOR TO BU DD WHEEL COMPANY, OF

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ACORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.'

DISK-WHEEL-STRAIGHTENING MACHINE.

Application filed October 22, 1924. Serial No. 745,125.

The wheel straightening machine to which the improvements of'my invention pertain is used for straightening distorted disk wheels of the type and constructioncommonly used on automobiles. These machines carry out a method of straightening, the most prominent feature of which is the rigid clamping of the central portion of the wheel, which normally is clamped upon a hub flange of the vehicle, and the application of pressure to an extent sutiicient to correct the distortion on lines substantially parallel to the true axis of the wheel disk.

Prior to the invention of this method and of means by which it might be carried out, the straightening of distorted disk wheels was a very vexatious problem. The use of hand hammering, of attempts at reverse bending by various devices and even the use of dies were resorted to, as well as many other schemes, all without substantial result until machines of the type to which niy invention pertains were invented.

But this invention did not completely solve the problem. Accidents to automobiles are very numerous and the variety of cars to which accidents happen is very great. The dimensions of the wheels to be operated upon accordingly vary widely. The early machines made no provision for ready adjustment to these various dimensions. It is in the construction making this provision that my principal improvement resides. 7

Other improvements relate to relative case and range of operation of the adjustment, provision of quickly applicable means to check the trueness of the straightened wheels, and the provision of means in the same ma.- chine whereby localized rather than regional or general distortion may be the more readily eliminated.

In the accompanyingdrawings, I show one embodiment of my invention.

Figure 1'of the drawings is a side elevation of the machine.

gig. 2 is an end elevation of the left-hand en Fig. 3 is a plan view of the element embodying the adjustable feature.

v Fig. his a sectional view of this element taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan view and Fig. 6 a transverse elevation of the support for the wheel whenundergoing the operation of removing localized distortion.

Fig. 7 is a vertical section through the clamping means used to hold the wheel when removing the regional and general distortion.

Fig. 8 is a similar view to Fig. 7 showing the clamping of a different type and size of wheel.

Referring first to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the machine, in general, is a hydraulic press comprised by right and left sections A and B. The frame of the press is comprised of base members 10 upon which are erected a series of spaced uprights 11 and 12, the upper ends of which are inter-connected by overhead beams or arms 13 and 14. A sub-base or operating platform 15 is supported from hydraulic cylinders 16 and 17 and is common to the two sections A and B of the press. This sub-base is comprised of two parallel beams suitably inter-connected and extend-, ing one on either side of the central uprights 12, as clearly appears in Figs. 1 and 2. Power-driven pumps 18 and 19 at opposite ends of the machine supply fluid under pressure through conduits 20 to the hydraulic cylinders 16 and 17. This supply is controlled through control mechanism designated gen erally 21 and operated by control handle 22.

Pumps 18 and 19 are'driven through rods 23 from common overhead belt-driven shaft 24 which shaft. in turn. is driven by a suitable motor (not shown). but which motor is controlled from control boxes 25 which are generally indicated as mounted along with the control 21 and 22 upon the central uprights 12 of the machine. All of these elements comprising the hydraulic press and its power appurtenances pertain to hydraulic presses of this type at large and enter into the com bination which constitutes my improvement. The general outline of the parts will therefore suflice.=

Mounted on sub-base 15, in the section A of the press is a block or pedestal 26 which at its upper end is provided with clamping plates 27 and 28arranged to be clamped together by a series of bolts 29 as indicated in Figs. 1 and 7 to clamp opposite faces of the disk vehicle wheel to be straightened at the central portions thereof. Both of these plates 27 and 28 are recessed as shown at 27' and 28 in Fig. 7 to receive the inner disk flange commonly used in wheels of this kind so the wheel may be clamped either outside up or outside down. Sets of plates of different diameters and dimensions of recesses are provided one for each different size or make of wheels. Clamping plates 27 and 28 are provided with central aligning apertures through which is projected the vertical shaft 30 which extends from abovethroughanoverhead bearing block 31 carried by the arm or beam 13, downwardly through the plates and the center of the wheel held betwwn them and into a bearing 32 formed in block 26. The lower block 27 has its lower part fitted in a recess 33 in block 26, and both clamping plates 27 and 28 fit the shaft 30 closely with the result that the wheel 34, clamped between them, is rigidly supported upon block 26, yet it may be freely revolved, block 26 serving as a turret. By removing shaft 30 vertically both the wheel and the clamping plates 27 and 28 may be freely removed and replaced upon block 26. To facilitate such removal, the upper end of shaft 30 is connected with a hoist 34' operated by a hand gri 35 from overhead.

Mounte on overhead arm or beam 13 of the section A, in cooperative relation with the sub-base 15 and the pertinent parts just described is a carriage 36 carried on rollers on the flanges of the beams which constitute element 13 in such manner as to be adjustable longitudinally thereof toward and from clamp 27-28, as clearly indicated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4. This carriage is in the form of a heavy casting or its equivalent and supports a depending ram or plunger 37 by means of heavy mounting or hearing 38. The ram or plunger 37 is in the plane of symmetry of the machine and is screw-threaded inti) its mounting as indicated in Fig. 1 so that it may be vertically adjusted as desired.

On the side of the mounting 38 is provided an adjustable pointer 39 in the form of an arm frictionally held at 40 to the mounting 38.

The subbase 15 of the opposite section B of the press is provided with a substantially horizontal table 41 of overall dimensions considerably greater than those of the largest wheel to be operated upon. This table is in the form of a metal plate of large area supported by an understructure 42 of circular form as indicated in Figs. 5 and 6. A wheel 43 to be operated upon is shown lying inside face down upon this table.

Supported from the overhead beam or arm of this section of the press is a carriage 44 supporting a ram 45 in general substantially similar to the corresponding carriage and ram 36 and 37 of the opposite section A of the press.

Because mounted on carriage 36 which may be moved freely upon the overhanging arm 13 of the press to any position desired in the plane of symmetry, the pressing tool 37 of the press may be adjusted toward or from the clamping means 27, 28 with utmost precision to the needs of any particular case. Then when relative movement of the pressing tool 37 and the wheel 34 to be strai htened is imparted in a direction substantially normal to or transversely of the wheel plane by applying power to the hydraulic cylinders 16 and 17 through the controls described, the wheel may be bent to any degree about the central clamped portion engaged by plates 27 and 28, through and beyond its true plane, and the distortion entirely removed. The application of such pressure normal to the plane carries out perfectly the improved method practiced in machines of this type. Because the central portions of the faces of the disk are clamped rigidly, not only is distortion which may have occurred in them removed or prevented from recurring, but any fresh distortion which might be due to the straightening process is prevented and when the wheel is completely straightened and runs true, it is sure to run true upon the hub of the vehicle.

After any application of straightening pressure through the relative movement of the pressing tool 37 and the wheel 34, pointer 39 may be moved downwardly about its pivot 40 to a fixed position upon or near the side of the wheel and the wheel given a turn about the shaft 30 on the turret plate 27, whereupon notation of the comparative uniformity of the distance between the end of the pointer and the rim of the wheel or face of the disk will indicate the trueness of the adjustment. In some cases, but few applications of pressure are needed but in other i and more complicated cases, a number of applications will be required and the indicating pointer is used several times in connection with one or more portions of the wheel. When not in use, it is raised out of the way.

Any wheel distorted locally as, for example, by a dent or a puncture, is placed flat-wise upon the table 41 of the opposite section B of the press, and thereupon, by interposing a suitable tool between the overhead ram 45 and wheel 43 as is found most convenient, and bearing upon the locally distorted portion, that distortion may be removed, proper application of pressure being made through relative movement of the pressing tool and the wheel by supplying pressure to the hydraulic cylinders 16 and 17. The forms of the tools used in treatin this localized distortion vary greatly wit 1 the circumstances of each case. Moreover, such cases may be treated either before or after the regional or general distortion treated upon section A of the press, and in any case the entire wheel is finally trued by mounting upon section A and the use of the adjustable indicating pointer 39.

In Fi 8, application is shown to a different make 0 disk wheel from that in Fig. 7, but both the wheels are of the same type. In other words, they are disk wheels. sponding parts are correspondingly num- Correbered. Both of these figures show clearly that feature of my invention according to which I provide a clamping plate with a plurality of grooves 28' so that each plate may be used in connection with a plurality of different sized wheels, the inturned central flanges of which are of different diameters.

But one embodiment of my invention has been shown, but it'is capable of others. .Any such embodiment falling within the purview of its generic spirit it is my purpose to comprehend in the annexed claims.

What ,I' claim is: a

1. In a wheel straightening device, the combination of movable means for clamping the central portion of a disk wheel, and means for moving said clamping means clamped wheel, a support, a pressing tool carport and adapted to ried by and movable with respectto said supengage said wheel.

2. A wheel straightening device having movable means for clamping the central por -tion of a disk wheel, means for moving said a direction substantially normal to the plane a pressing tool adapted to engage said Wheel in such movement to straighten the wheel.

3. A wheel straightening device having movable means for supporting a disk wheel,

and means for moving said supporting means in a direction substantially normal to the plane of a clamped wheel, a carriage movable with respect to said supporting means, and a pressing tool adjustably mounted on said carriage.

4. In a wheel straightening'device, means for clamping the central portion of the faces oi afdisk wheel, means for moving said clampin a direction substantially normal to the plane of a to engage the wheel outside the central clamped portion and to bend the same about said portion through and beyond its true plane, roller bearingsfor mounting one of said clamping means and pressing tool whereby it may be freely adjusted in'a direction parallel to the wheel plane.

5. In a wheel straightening device, a combination of means for clamping the central portion of the wheel, which means admits of rotation of the wheel, a pressing tool mount.- ed to engage the wheel from one side thereof, and an indicating pointer adjustable to various fixed positions with respect to the side of the wheel to indicate the relative trueness thereof when the wheel is rotated.

6. A wheel straightening machine comprising a press embodying a relatively movable work-supportingase and pressing tool and a work-supportmg table carried by the base in a plane substantially normal to the direction of movement of said elements and of overall dimensions considerably greater r 65 than the overall dimensions of the wheel to be straightened, whereby the table is adapted to support the wheel flatwise, from its rim edges.

7. A wheel strai htening machine comprising a press embo ying a' relatively movable work supporting base and pressing tool and a work-supporting table, carried by the base. in a plane substantially normal to the direction of movement of said elements and of overall dimensions considerably greater than the voverall dimensions of the wheel to be straightened, whereby the table is adapted to support the wheel flatwise from its rim edges, said work-supporting table and being relatively adjustable laterally toward and from each other. ing means in-a direction substantially normal to the wheel plane and a pressing tool adapted In testimony whereof, I 'affizr my signature. I RICHARD FU'RB'U SH.

pressing tool 

